Attendance: Paul, Beth, Chris, Sam, Kevin, Cindy Lawry, Tammy, Linda, Jodi, Christina and Esther
This committee was formed to identify a Database software program that can best serve the needs of Tenacre.
What is a Database?
A database is an organized collection of information stored in one central location. This information or data can easily be accessed, managed, and updated.
Why do we want it?
Much of the work done by different departments at Tenacre is duplicated by others. One central format for organizing and maintaining information that could be easily retrieved and maintained would save time. Our ability to track information would be improved.
Highlights of the meeting:
•Several members shared how they currently use a database
•others mentioned what they would like to see a database include as far as record keeping etc. for their department
•the thinking is that this would take up to two years to implement
•the challenge will be finding a program that serves our needs
•suggestion was made to formulate a list of questions that can be asked when committee calls other schools that are currently using one database
•Beth recorded questions committee members would like to ask other schools
•building a program from scratch can’t be done
• members were concerned about who will have access, will it be web-based and what is the security
•interest was shown in what could be added on later to the program as our needs increase
•who is going to maintain this
•how will staff and faculty be trained
Next Meeting is October 29th at 3:45. Beth will have compiled a list of the questions that members would like to ask other schools. These questions will guide our further investigation of a single database for Tenacre.
Questions:
Will this be a student and alumni database?
How can we all get the most out of the various components of the database?
What do we mean by time frame?
What are the steps for finding the database?
CONCLUSIONS FROM QUESTIONING SESSION:
We want to move ahead with research so that all the hard work and research we do is relevant when we implement the database. We need to meet with Rod to discuss budgetary concerns with regards to implementing.
Database Questionnaire Review
Compiling the Information -
Should we use a survey monkey when entering the data recieved from peer schools?
Should we talk to them face to face, or should we send them a "Survey Monkey?"
What will be more beneficial: the face to face or a survey?
Could we send a survey monkey with a caveat for following up personally?
How can we tailor this survey for survey monkey?
Some more thought provoking questions:
Do we bring the sales people in before sending the survey?
Do we send a very general, very short survey first, then contact companies, and then go and survey those schools that use those companies to find out the reality of implementation?
Do we rule out all schools who use multiple databases, or do we include schools that use a few databases in case there is not a way to have a school-wide databases?
Do you have a school-wide database? yes no
How long have you had this database?
Brand New
6months - 1 Year
1-2 years
2-4 years
5- 10 Years
10+ years
Which departments use this database?
admissions business development library academics administration
What product(s) do you use?
?
Who should we contact for more information?
Name: Phone Number:
Database Committee Meeting, Dec. 3, 2007
The following database systems were identified and commented upon in a survey sent to 35 schools:
Company Name Product Name
Breuer Veracross
InResonance Keystone
Portal
Blackbaud Education Edge
Raiser's Edge
Financial Edge
STI
Pearson Power
WebEIM
Just5clicks
Filemaker Pro (customized by developer or tech department)
We decided to make appointments with 1) Veracross, 2) InResonance and 3) the company which split away from InResonance.
The appointments will be scheduled, one after the other, for a Thursday morning in Feb.
*
To be done:
• Chris will check with Lou Anne to see if part of the Jan. Professional Development Day be allotted to a Database Committee meeting so that we can talk about each person's individual needs.
• People will e-mail Suzanne their "broad brushstroke" needs and she will compile them.
• Paul will call the vendors and schedule appointments.
• Paul will call Tom at Park School and Lincoln and Kingsley schools to get more info.
• Sam will call Meadowbrook, Fay and Belmont Day to see what developer they used for Filemaker Pro and if they liked the outcome.
• Once appointments are scheduled, Esther will make sub arrangements.
Meeting on Weds January 2, 2008
Data Base Meeting Jan. 2, 2008
Thursday am 7 or 21st (devel meeting until 9 am)
Feb 7 is best- start at 8:30
Tenacre Wiki space
• All notified of its existence, some submissions, .
• Broad Brush strokes need to be submitted
The Wiki will be a way to organize information and keep in touch.
• Survey Results
• Admissions
• Development
• Front Office
• Academic/Assessment
• Teachers
If you edit, please remember to save it.
Vendors
(info is under School Info on Wiki)
• Veracross--like a COBALT page---little ticks to answer questions----not as good as it seemed at first blush.
• Proofgroup
Dates:
• Pick 3 dates that work for us. Schedule them all in one day. Let's look at 2/7 and 2/21 (computer room is most open on Thursday).
• Let's have the vendors show us in Wells--they should take about an hour each.
• Optimum: start at 8:30 on 2/7, 2nd at 9:30, 3rd at 10:30
• On 2/21, there is a Development meeting until 9 am.
Discussion
• How about Senior Systems? Meadowbrook uses it. Sam will talk to her.
Sam is happy with her FileMaker database. The vendors will know what she has so it's not necessary to put up a clone of it for vendors to see.
It's cost effective with human resources to have the fewest amount of data bases as possible so work isn't duplicated for each. Need a balance. What is our school's need for sharing information w/out multiple pockets for individual needs.
Front Office
Development
Admissions
Academic
These are the 4 most important databases.
What role would Tenacre Camp play in all of this? Camp has wanted, in a business reason, to have their own database. Maybe we can use a spreadsheet from camp that can be imported to our database.
Maybe someone from the Camp Office should sit in on Feb. 7.
We need hard copies of requirements (ie report template). Suzanne will gather those.
The best thing we can do is to keep in mind what our needs are so that we are prepared to talk to the vendors.
We strongly prefer a person making the presentation (as opposed to a webinar).
To Do:
Wiki needs to be filled out in order to go forward. Broad Brush Strokes, Dreams, Necessities.
Database Committee Vendor Showcase: Feb. 7, 2008
In Attendance:
Chris Elliot, Lou Anne Collins, Linda Nitschelm, Beth Green, Sam Reece, Suzanne Craig, Paul Randles, Kevin Mahoney
Christina Grace, Jody Barron, Tammy Katzeff
InResonance: Ryan McFarlane
Director Strategic Sales (Based on Filemaker Pro)
Products:
Portal: Admissions
Keystone: Registrar, Teacher Access Module
Generations: Development/Alumni
Filemaker 8 is rewritten software—it’s a little different from our Filemaker 6.
Big benefit: Anything that we already have in our database is easy to move over, along with a 12 year background of working w/ independent schools. Everything can and will be modified.
Portal: Admissions
Inquiry page has the following tabs:
Tabs:
Overview
Parents
Interview
App decision
Financial Aid
Testing
Reception
Actions
Enrollment
• Tracks status of student inquiries. It’s manual but pieces can be automated with Web Services.
• Search Mechanism is by any criteria that is entered in the database, then can be constrained by any other criteria.
• All existing correspondence can be imported, and Filemaker also has canned letters (labels, envelopes). This is kept on-line so info can be merged into the searched content (our system does this already).
• There are fields in the database that are default but can be made to be related—i.e. when parents have 2 different last names There is a salutation section in the letters so you there are options.
• Filemaker can be set up to work with First Class so form letters can be sent by e-mail---it creates a list based upon the criteria you want, then each can be customized.
Info under specific tabs:
Test: text boxes and texts that can be changed, They have a warehouse of all the tests available that can be added, depending on our needs.
Visits: Types of visits
Actions: letters, phone, email---can be applied globally to the selected set. We don’t do this now because several people meet with applicants, etc so we still work with paper.
Correspondence, reports, are all available and malleable.
Keystone handles scheduling and registrations (transcripts)
It can be exported as a pdf, can be put on the web as a data file.
Report area is customizable (additional fee). It depends on how complex it is but ours is already on Filemaker so cost could be a lot less. It would depend on how dynamic they are. He will look at it and let us know but he can do checkboxes (lozenges) and narratives easily. They can do it all once we give them the info needed to do it.
Others can get into records at the same time, just not the same field (error message will come up to let you know).
Teachers get a user name and password. It’s as easy as writing on a piece of paper.
Teacher Access Screen (from the Keystone database):
Dashboard
Students
Attendance
Grade Entry (can change weight calculation) (a “grade book” ~~ with averages, graphing, spreadsheets, visuals~~ is not available—they tried it once but teachers didn’t use it---it can be created but it’s an extra fee—it makes more sense for teachers to continue to use Snapgrades and they can import the data into their database)
Is there a parent interactive part? 1.e our feedback sheets from narrative reports?
Yes—there is a family access module standard features include grades, comments, attendance, schedules, feedback, notes from teachers, response back.
Is there a sign-up area , i.e. Pizza Bingo—can that be done and available for an online sign up. Yes—it can be done. It depends on how often we’d use it and how complex it is. It is web hosting and not cheap so it might not be economically beneficial.
Everything is dynamic and linked both globally and with found sets
Attributes can be made to be whatever we want. Can attach organizations to constituates
Interface is much cleaner in this version.
Many reports available—if you want another, we can add our own reports or they can create.
100% of this software can be changed by us if we know Filmmaker This is the only software company that is completely open and changeable. It can be wrecked so if we are adding something, it’s good to run it buy the company (this won’t be charged---if it’s a 4 hour advice, yes, but they want to work with us—provide training, etc)
Events Module
Can create events w/ cost pp, invite and receive rsvps, create nametag (customizable),
Questions
1. Can we get ballpark figures on modules:
Portal_ $20, 000.
Keystone: $32,000 (additional),
Generations: $30, 000,
Family Access: 1 year $5000.00, then $2500/yr,
Licensing: $2000.00 ($5000 for 3)/yr (inc free upgrades, preferred rate for support, customizations and support).
2. Customizations migrate to other modules @ no cost.
3. There is a budget in the $20,000 for set-up…this will include a number of our reports. The criteria based part of reports will be extra.
4. This is on our server.
5. We can create a comment writer module so teachers can do their work at home, then it would need to be input onto the server.
6. There is 3x as much phone support as there was in the last year. He can give references to show how its increased. (3 support people and 5-6 full time developers)
7. Time frame for developers is 6 months. Will begin from one month.
8. Blackbaud Giftmaker Pro is hardest to extract data but Sage or others are easy to interface with them.
9. Spreadsheet data can be imported and its included in the $20,000—that’s the set-up—any and all data will be imported in this set-up.
10. Customization is the only thing that is not included.
11. He would need to see our specific needs (reports, etc) to come up with a ballpark but if we are on Filemaker, it will be very cost effective)
12. Would the ground shift in Resonance (the turnover of staff) effect us? It’s stable now. Only one person left in the last 12 months—other turnover was the owners changed. They have 350 clients. It is going forward and very stable. Kevin Powells (?) is the primary owner (the guy who started it)-
13. if we don’t have a “filemaker master” ? Most schools don’t have a Filemaker Person because it is so easy to use. The most technical part is server knowledge which Paul has—the important part is the scripts. Jodi used to have to make the scripts @ DCD and, without support, it was hard. Many of our scripts are already made up, at least in admissions as it is already a Filemaker Database.
14. They partner with Whipple Hill.. For all the web-based enquiries: they can put a link on our website that will link to their inquiry database. It will import the data automatically and you can see a list of each day. It doesn’t duplicate records
15. Ten day training in included in the price…as many people as we want. Two days for Portal, Three for Generations, Five for Keystone
16. USB key is used for teachers to write reports just as we do now. Alternatively, the module can be emailed back and forth,
17. When a criteria is added, a layout is changed. They can build the script so that criteria can be added—this is when they need to be contacted.
18. Printing piece is easier for reports—it will catch it if the text goes onto another page. The report formatting problem will be fixed.
19. If admissions wants to change a large member of the fields, will it change for
other database, such as front office? Yes…the database will always be the same for everyone. SR: It wouldn’t change really because she uses it before the acceptance process kicks in. When they are accepted, it leaves her balliwick.
19. If there is a separate registrar piece (Portal & Keystone), changes can be made in
one and carried through another (i.e. address changes)? It is all linked.
Veracross: Aaron Vogelzang
Attributes of a Quality System
1. No single data entry No redundancy
2. Easy access to needed info for all users
3. Tailored to the school’s needs
They customize all their systems. They are very proud of their services and take it very seriously.
4. Hosted in a corporate-quality data center
Never have to worry about the data. It’s backed up daily up to a month. Backed up daily, monthly and every 6 months.
There are “views” or certain slices into the system so personnel only sees what they need. This is the same for the parents.
Admin
Non-teaching
Faculty
Parents
Students
Board Members
Volunteers
Prospects (on a web site & reports can be generated, sign ups, etc)
• Not a purveyor of packaged software—it’s customized with a product manager and a data integrity person who will know our data, a dedicated person to Tenacre
Summer camp Modules?
Many different Modules available, including summer camp, after-school,
Web forms with sign up sheets, fee can be paid right there or invoice can be sent.
It is an integrated system so any module that is inserted will talk to others.
Results grids—can view a large level of things then drill down to individual pieces of data
When an enquiry comes into our web site, it comes to a database info page that the applicant will fill out and this info goes directly into our database. It will show us on our home screen how many records came in {i.e. Enquiry (3)}. Upon receipt of this info, many records (that are customizable) are made; household, event, student, relationship, family, etc.
It is a fully integrated database for admissions, registrar, development, etc
Each person in database is given an id number and this does not change as she goes throughout the system (starting as inquiry then applicant, then student, etc). They are in as an inquiry, you go to allocations,, put their name in and it changes the status to applicant. In this record, there are checkboxes to see if all the recs, apps, etc are in. From here, you accept them via a pull down member. When they enroll, their role changes to Future Student and now the profile shows data specific to newly enrolled people. Reports & Correspondence can now be generated via merge fields (Microsoft based). We give them a word doc (housed on our desktop) and the database does the merge. These docs can be sent to one particular student or to a found set via a pull down menu.
Families with 2 names easy to construct (he demo-ed it---had an override on address merge)
Breadcrumb trail is always at the top so you can easily navigate back.
Audit log tracking shows date & time a record was updated, description of field, old value/new value, who updated, etc
Start: “What kind of info am I looking for?” Then do a find for that specific info.
Reporting ability is incredible---%’s, spreadsheets, etc.
With a little training, we can learn to write our own queries.
Home pages for each area—admissions, faculty,
All have the navigation on a left hand side box.
Demo of a report screen had a piece for narratives and checklists. Info would be input then is dropped and merged into a Word Template for Report Cards, which automatically opens. Data is dynamic. They create the template that the info is slotted into.
Parents can see a pdf file of reports instead of having it sent.
Teachers can look at a child’s reports throughout the years and their own reports throughout the years.
Reports can show all K applicants, all test scores on one page (or any other criteria).—imported into an Excel Spreadsheet and ordered in any way.
New fields in a database are done by the company though most fields are already in the database and they can tell us how to navigate to it. If we come up with a field and we want a certain calculation done on it, that may require a fee.
You can scroll back and forth through the detail screens
Registrar
It’s all in the database, there is not a specific screen just for the register.
To do a search, i.e. all kids with birthday in June:
From Lower School page, click off all the criteria, put in a descriptor and pull up the search. (but there is a birthday calendar already there)
Printing can’t be done on an envelope—labels only. You can go into an excel spreadsheet as a work-around, though.
Print preview is available with a global view of all addresses.
Development
Straight forward data entry.
Reports generated as pie charts, graphs, etc.
The Development piece can be password protected.
Beta Tool: ES Dashboard….Can see the data is an easy to see and understand manner with bar graphs, grids, pull down menus
Ballpark figures:
Core Administration:
• set up depends on our data maybe about $12,000 (inc training)
• $20,000 for data conversion for everything
• monthly fee: $1200/month (inc report cards, attendance)
Admissions:
Set up for data conversion: about $2000
2500.00/month
Teacher Portal
3000/month
Development
Set up: $2000.00
2500/month
Parent Portal
3000/month
Customization is extra and would be a one time fee, typically about $500.00
About $24,000 a year in fees, overall. They hold all the data on their servers.
Service is by a ticket basis: a dedicated person for Tenacre who responds to each client on the basis of critical need.
In the contract we cap inflation fees at 5% however, you’d be hard pressed to find a client that would report that amount has been charged.
He’s got a good idea of what he needs from us in order to draw up an estimate. If we chose to go with them, there would be a back and forth about how to go forward. There can be some wiggle room on fees.
This is PC based----there will need to be parallels installed on the Macs for mail merges.
SeniorSystems: Tim Lauf
HQ is in Marlboro, Ma. We can go and visit their HQ if we want.
SeniorSystems – faculty interaction is almost exclusively web-based. The rest is technically a Windows based one but it has a hosting service so we would connect through the web.
16 years in the business.
Fully integrated database.
Has about 240 indep schools around the country. Dana Hall uses Business Module, several area schools use one or more modules.
Admissions:
Inquiry and App can be on line and completely tailorable to Tenacre’s need. Inquiry form is on line (they work together with Whipple Hill---they have a high degree of integration with them). Fill out info, it’s submitted and it would travel to a “holding area” so it can be approved by Admissions.
When a child is accepted it goes to an Enrollment Management Module. Nice statistical reports can be generated from this info.
All the appropriate data automatically becomes available to Development, Registrar, Business, etc. Eliminates duplicate work but also preserves integrity of data. Different Modules can review new data and decide of they want that info to go into their specific database.
Each Module has a specific merge capability.
Canned documents are on line and can be tailored to our needs (student/parent, checklist, visitors confirmation, school, referral, mailing list)
Near every field is dynamically queriable. Query lists are specific to each topic but are able to be used throughout the other topics with a drop down menu. Each query set is specific to each office. Admissions, Development have a new query facility—Registrar & Summer Camp have an old interface but is still effective. Query will first count # of responses.
There is a very nice Help section that explains the type of letter and the merge instructions.
He is getting back to us as to whether the Admissions docs in Filemaker are importable.
Letters are held and maintained outside the system and it does a merge of the data. It will keep a running list of each piece of correspondence sent out to each family. E-mail
Each module has a number of canned reports. During planning meetings we will go over reports that we have used in the past and they can show us the canned report that dovetails with ours. If it needs some adjustments, we export it (via RTF or pdf) and fix it there (drop txt file into Excel database, for example) or they can customize a report for us.
Crystal Reports works in conjunction with SeniorSystems. You can pull out the data in Crystal if we know how to do this but they can also do it for a fee. They also have a warehouse of Crystal Reports that have been made for other schools and we have access to them. It would be a rare occasion that they would not have the report that we needed.
Teacher Module
This module has an export option for Excel, as well as RTF and text.
They’ve looked at our reports and don’t think it would be a problem to tailor one of their canned report but, if we decide to go with them, they can have one of the developers look at it and show us what they can give us that will suit.
This is a true web application. It comes through as “My Backpack.” Gradebook, schedule, reports
My Backpack is for Parents, Faculty, Alumni, Admin.
Student info tabs: Student, Family, Schedule, Attendance, Discipline, Grades, Daily Assignments and Comment (summary, upcoming assignments, completed assignments, missing assignments) teachers can upload RTF files here, Academic History (prior years reports)
They are working on a system so that it will show the process of a report (i.e. editing that any one does).
Gradebook: It can be archived.
Tabs: Assignment Groups (Homework, papers, Tests, etc), Grade Calculations, Group Averages, Special Scores, Options, Comments
Teachers can publish homework so kids can get it there
Report Comment boxes are small (one paragraph) but scrollable – visual is small.
Development Module
In “My Backpack” Alumni tab.
Tabs: Directory, Donations, My Profile
When alumni makes changes, it goes to a holding area so Development can decide to import or not.
Records: each one has an individual id # (each spouse has one) so all info is tailored
Can have any number of constituency types available.
All kinds of Salutation Options
Address info is the same for all databases.
Giving details type, to what campaign, etc
Giving Summary: YTD, Amount, Campaign, Fund, etc.
Event Planning is an add-on Module that piggy-backs on Development—tracks volunteers, etc.
Information can be targeted in many different ways.
Fees:
Ballpark
One time purchase: $40,000 – 80,000
Admissions: $6000.00
$3600 3 service days (1200/day for other service days)
$1200/ annual
Development: $9000.00, service days: $6000., annual support 2400/year
Registrar $9000, service fees: $4800, 3000/annual
Backpack: $6000, $1200 services, 1500/year
Gradebook: $6000, $1200 services, 1500/year
Oracle Data Base: $4000, 2000/year
Oracle Web Server $4000, 2000/year
Citrex licenses: $2500
5 year agreements
65,500 one time purchase
$130,000 total time over 5 years, $25,000 with signed contract & $1750/month
Data Conversion: Admissions: $2000-4000, Development: $8000, Registrar: $2000-6000 range
Database Committee meeting February 12 2008
• we should take our time deciding
• need to draw up specific questions
• costs
• is it better to go with a smaller company that might evolve or a bigger company that has many features?
• hidden costs: salary fees for those to be trained
• Need more time to personally experience them
• Are these 2 databases the best available products? We need to go through the process--try some things out, visit other schools, etc. Then, if we come to a decision, we still need to look and see if another system has come into existence in the time being.
• Is it possible that these 2 companies can merge so that one company emerges that has all the good features of each in one product? There are products that can link both systems to do that.
• NAIS will have an exhibition hall that may have database reps to visit to see if there are other companies out there.
Rod:
Blackbaud (what is used now) is a dinosaur. They are continuing to use it because a new database will come into the school. If a product (Senior Systems) is available for the rest of the school, the business office really would want this in place. Marti is familiar with Senior Systems.
NEXT:
1. each of us needs to write down a list of questions and processes specific to each of our needs that we can pose to each rep
2. we should post questions/processes to the wiki
3. deadline: before March break
4. need to get out to other schools to see what is going on
5. bring reps back for another visit (start with Senior Systems) to meet with individuals to see if all our tasks are do-able (end of April)
6. get references (who’s got each product?)
October 15, 2007 Database meeting
Attendance: Paul, Beth, Chris, Sam, Kevin, Cindy Lawry, Tammy, Linda, Jodi, Christina and Esther
This committee was formed to identify a Database software program that can best serve the needs of Tenacre.
What is a Database?
A database is an organized collection of information stored in one central location. This information or data can easily be accessed, managed, and updated.
Why do we want it?
Much of the work done by different departments at Tenacre is duplicated by others. One central format for organizing and maintaining information that could be easily retrieved and maintained would save time. Our ability to track information would be improved.
Highlights of the meeting:
•Several members shared how they currently use a database
•others mentioned what they would like to see a database include as far as record keeping etc. for their department
•the thinking is that this would take up to two years to implement
•the challenge will be finding a program that serves our needs
•suggestion was made to formulate a list of questions that can be asked when committee calls other schools that are currently using one database
•Beth recorded questions committee members would like to ask other schools
•building a program from scratch can’t be done
• members were concerned about who will have access, will it be web-based and what is the security
•interest was shown in what could be added on later to the program as our needs increase
•who is going to maintain this
•how will staff and faculty be trained
Next Meeting is October 29th at 3:45. Beth will have compiled a list of the questions that members would like to ask other schools. These questions will guide our further investigation of a single database for Tenacre.
Database Committee Meeting - October 29, 2007
Attendance: Paul, Beth, Chris, Kevin, Cindy Lawry, Tammy, Jodi, Christina, Lou Anne, Linda, Esther
Questions:
Will this be a student and alumni database?
How can we all get the most out of the various components of the database?
What do we mean by time frame?
What are the steps for finding the database?
CONCLUSIONS FROM QUESTIONING SESSION:
We want to move ahead with research so that all the hard work and research we do is relevant when we implement the database. We need to meet with Rod to discuss budgetary concerns with regards to implementing.
Database Questionnaire Review
Compiling the Information -
Should we use a survey monkey when entering the data recieved from peer schools?
Should we talk to them face to face, or should we send them a "Survey Monkey?"
What will be more beneficial: the face to face or a survey?
Could we send a survey monkey with a caveat for following up personally?
How can we tailor this survey for survey monkey?
Some more thought provoking questions:
Do we bring the sales people in before sending the survey?
Do we send a very general, very short survey first, then contact companies, and then go and survey those schools that use those companies to find out the reality of implementation?
Do we rule out all schools who use multiple databases, or do we include schools that use a few databases in case there is not a way to have a school-wide databases?
Do you have a school-wide database? yes no
How long have you had this database?
Brand New
6months - 1 Year
1-2 years
2-4 years
5- 10 Years
10+ years
Which departments use this database?
admissions business development library academics administration
What product(s) do you use?
?
Who should we contact for more information?
Name: Phone Number:
Database Committee Meeting, Dec. 3, 2007
The following database systems were identified and commented upon in a survey sent to 35 schools:
Company Name Product Name
Breuer Veracross
InResonance Keystone
Portal
Blackbaud Education Edge
Raiser's Edge
Financial Edge
STI
Pearson Power
WebEIM
Just5clicks
Filemaker Pro (customized by developer or tech department)
We decided to make appointments with 1) Veracross, 2) InResonance and 3) the company which split away from InResonance.
The appointments will be scheduled, one after the other, for a Thursday morning in Feb.
*
To be done:
• Chris will check with Lou Anne to see if part of the Jan. Professional Development Day be allotted to a Database Committee meeting so that we can talk about each person's individual needs.
• People will e-mail Suzanne their "broad brushstroke" needs and she will compile them.
• Paul will call the vendors and schedule appointments.
• Paul will call Tom at Park School and Lincoln and Kingsley schools to get more info.
• Sam will call Meadowbrook, Fay and Belmont Day to see what developer they used for Filemaker Pro and if they liked the outcome.
• Once appointments are scheduled, Esther will make sub arrangements.
Meeting on Weds January 2, 2008
Data Base Meeting Jan. 2, 2008
Thursday am 7 or 21st (devel meeting until 9 am)
Feb 7 is best- start at 8:30
Tenacre Wiki space
• All notified of its existence, some submissions, .
• Broad Brush strokes need to be submitted
The Wiki will be a way to organize information and keep in touch.
• Survey Results
• Admissions
• Development
• Front Office
• Academic/Assessment
• Teachers
If you edit, please remember to save it.
Vendors
(info is under School Info on Wiki)
• Veracross--like a COBALT page---little ticks to answer questions----not as good as it seemed at first blush.
• Proofgroup
Dates:
• Pick 3 dates that work for us. Schedule them all in one day. Let's look at 2/7 and 2/21 (computer room is most open on Thursday).
• Let's have the vendors show us in Wells--they should take about an hour each.
• Optimum: start at 8:30 on 2/7, 2nd at 9:30, 3rd at 10:30
• On 2/21, there is a Development meeting until 9 am.
Discussion
• How about Senior Systems? Meadowbrook uses it. Sam will talk to her.
Sam is happy with her FileMaker database. The vendors will know what she has so it's not necessary to put up a clone of it for vendors to see.
It's cost effective with human resources to have the fewest amount of data bases as possible so work isn't duplicated for each. Need a balance. What is our school's need for sharing information w/out multiple pockets for individual needs.
Front Office
Development
Admissions
Academic
These are the 4 most important databases.
What role would Tenacre Camp play in all of this? Camp has wanted, in a business reason, to have their own database. Maybe we can use a spreadsheet from camp that can be imported to our database.
Maybe someone from the Camp Office should sit in on Feb. 7.
We need hard copies of requirements (ie report template). Suzanne will gather those.
The best thing we can do is to keep in mind what our needs are so that we are prepared to talk to the vendors.
We strongly prefer a person making the presentation (as opposed to a webinar).
To Do:
Wiki needs to be filled out in order to go forward. Broad Brush Strokes, Dreams, Necessities.
Database Committee Vendor Showcase: Feb. 7, 2008
In Attendance:Chris Elliot, Lou Anne Collins, Linda Nitschelm, Beth Green, Sam Reece, Suzanne Craig, Paul Randles, Kevin Mahoney
Christina Grace, Jody Barron, Tammy Katzeff
InResonance: Ryan McFarlane
Director Strategic Sales (Based on Filemaker Pro)Products:
Portal: Admissions
Keystone: Registrar, Teacher Access Module
Generations: Development/Alumni
Filemaker 8 is rewritten software—it’s a little different from our Filemaker 6.
Big benefit: Anything that we already have in our database is easy to move over, along with a 12 year background of working w/ independent schools. Everything can and will be modified.
Portal: Admissions
Inquiry page has the following tabs:
Tabs:
Overview
Parents
Interview
App decision
Financial Aid
Testing
Reception
Actions
Enrollment
• Tracks status of student inquiries. It’s manual but pieces can be automated with Web Services.
• Search Mechanism is by any criteria that is entered in the database, then can be constrained by any other criteria.
• All existing correspondence can be imported, and Filemaker also has canned letters (labels, envelopes). This is kept on-line so info can be merged into the searched content (our system does this already).
• There are fields in the database that are default but can be made to be related—i.e. when parents have 2 different last names There is a salutation section in the letters so you there are options.
• Filemaker can be set up to work with First Class so form letters can be sent by e-mail---it creates a list based upon the criteria you want, then each can be customized.
Info under specific tabs:
Test: text boxes and texts that can be changed, They have a warehouse of all the tests available that can be added, depending on our needs.
Visits: Types of visits
Actions: letters, phone, email---can be applied globally to the selected set. We don’t do this now because several people meet with applicants, etc so we still work with paper.
Keystone:
Tabs:
Overview, Personal, Patents, Academics, Contact Us, Enrollment
Correspondence, reports, are all available and malleable.
Keystone handles scheduling and registrations (transcripts)
It can be exported as a pdf, can be put on the web as a data file.
Report area is customizable (additional fee). It depends on how complex it is but ours is already on Filemaker so cost could be a lot less. It would depend on how dynamic they are. He will look at it and let us know but he can do checkboxes (lozenges) and narratives easily. They can do it all once we give them the info needed to do it.
We want:
Assessment (from LA, math)
Preconf reports
Reports (checkboxes, narratives)
.
Others can get into records at the same time, just not the same field (error message will come up to let you know).
Teachers get a user name and password. It’s as easy as writing on a piece of paper.
Teacher Access Screen (from the Keystone database):
Dashboard
Students
Attendance
Grade Entry (can change weight calculation) (a “grade book” ~~ with averages, graphing, spreadsheets, visuals~~ is not available—they tried it once but teachers didn’t use it---it can be created but it’s an extra fee—it makes more sense for teachers to continue to use Snapgrades and they can import the data into their database)
Is there a parent interactive part? 1.e our feedback sheets from narrative reports?
Yes—there is a family access module standard features include grades, comments, attendance, schedules, feedback, notes from teachers, response back.
Is there a sign-up area , i.e. Pizza Bingo—can that be done and available for an online sign up. Yes—it can be done. It depends on how often we’d use it and how complex it is. It is web hosting and not cheap so it might not be economically beneficial.
Everything is dynamic and linked both globally and with found sets
If a student withdraws, they go into Generations.
Generations:
Tabs:
Overview, contact (, giving, attributes (primary, additional, solicitor, organization, hon/Mem), contact log, events, memberships, documents, notes
Attributes can be made to be whatever we want. Can attach organizations to constituates
Interface is much cleaner in this version.
Many reports available—if you want another, we can add our own reports or they can create.
100% of this software can be changed by us if we know Filmmaker This is the only software company that is completely open and changeable. It can be wrecked so if we are adding something, it’s good to run it buy the company (this won’t be charged---if it’s a 4 hour advice, yes, but they want to work with us—provide training, etc)
Events Module
Can create events w/ cost pp, invite and receive rsvps, create nametag (customizable),
Questions
1. Can we get ballpark figures on modules:
Portal_ $20, 000.
Keystone: $32,000 (additional),
Generations: $30, 000,
Family Access: 1 year $5000.00, then $2500/yr,
Licensing: $2000.00 ($5000 for 3)/yr (inc free upgrades, preferred rate for support, customizations and support).
2. Customizations migrate to other modules @ no cost.
3. There is a budget in the $20,000 for set-up…this will include a number of our reports. The criteria based part of reports will be extra.
4. This is on our server.
5. We can create a comment writer module so teachers can do their work at home, then it would need to be input onto the server.
6. There is 3x as much phone support as there was in the last year. He can give references to show how its increased. (3 support people and 5-6 full time developers)
7. Time frame for developers is 6 months. Will begin from one month.
8. Blackbaud Giftmaker Pro is hardest to extract data but Sage or others are easy to interface with them.
9. Spreadsheet data can be imported and its included in the $20,000—that’s the set-up—any and all data will be imported in this set-up.
10. Customization is the only thing that is not included.
11. He would need to see our specific needs (reports, etc) to come up with a ballpark but if we are on Filemaker, it will be very cost effective)
12. Would the ground shift in Resonance (the turnover of staff) effect us? It’s stable now. Only one person left in the last 12 months—other turnover was the owners changed. They have 350 clients. It is going forward and very stable. Kevin Powells (?) is the primary owner (the guy who started it)-
13. if we don’t have a “filemaker master” ? Most schools don’t have a Filemaker Person because it is so easy to use. The most technical part is server knowledge which Paul has—the important part is the scripts. Jodi used to have to make the scripts @ DCD and, without support, it was hard. Many of our scripts are already made up, at least in admissions as it is already a Filemaker Database.
14. They partner with Whipple Hill.. For all the web-based enquiries: they can put a link on our website that will link to their inquiry database. It will import the data automatically and you can see a list of each day. It doesn’t duplicate records
15. Ten day training in included in the price…as many people as we want. Two days for Portal, Three for Generations, Five for Keystone
16. USB key is used for teachers to write reports just as we do now. Alternatively, the module can be emailed back and forth,
17. When a criteria is added, a layout is changed. They can build the script so that criteria can be added—this is when they need to be contacted.
18. Printing piece is easier for reports—it will catch it if the text goes onto another page. The report formatting problem will be fixed.
19. If admissions wants to change a large member of the fields, will it change for
other database, such as front office? Yes…the database will always be the same for everyone. SR: It wouldn’t change really because she uses it before the acceptance process kicks in. When they are accepted, it leaves her balliwick.
19. If there is a separate registrar piece (Portal & Keystone), changes can be made in
one and carried through another (i.e. address changes)? It is all linked.
Veracross: Aaron Vogelzang
Attributes of a Quality System
1. No single data entry No redundancy
2. Easy access to needed info for all users
3. Tailored to the school’s needs
They customize all their systems. They are very proud of their services and take it very seriously.
4. Hosted in a corporate-quality data center
Never have to worry about the data. It’s backed up daily up to a month. Backed up daily, monthly and every 6 months.
There are “views” or certain slices into the system so personnel only sees what they need. This is the same for the parents.
Admin
Non-teaching
Faculty
Parents
Students
Board Members
Volunteers
Prospects (on a web site & reports can be generated, sign ups, etc)
• Not a purveyor of packaged software—it’s customized with a product manager and a data integrity person who will know our data, a dedicated person to Tenacre
Summer camp Modules?
Many different Modules available, including summer camp, after-school,
Web forms with sign up sheets, fee can be paid right there or invoice can be sent.
It is an integrated system so any module that is inserted will talk to others.
Results grids—can view a large level of things then drill down to individual pieces of data
When an enquiry comes into our web site, it comes to a database info page that the applicant will fill out and this info goes directly into our database. It will show us on our home screen how many records came in {i.e. Enquiry (3)}. Upon receipt of this info, many records (that are customizable) are made; household, event, student, relationship, family, etc.
It is a fully integrated database for admissions, registrar, development, etc
Each person in database is given an id number and this does not change as she goes throughout the system (starting as inquiry then applicant, then student, etc). They are in as an inquiry, you go to allocations,, put their name in and it changes the status to applicant. In this record, there are checkboxes to see if all the recs, apps, etc are in. From here, you accept them via a pull down member. When they enroll, their role changes to Future Student and now the profile shows data specific to newly enrolled people. Reports & Correspondence can now be generated via merge fields (Microsoft based). We give them a word doc (housed on our desktop) and the database does the merge. These docs can be sent to one particular student or to a found set via a pull down menu.
Families with 2 names easy to construct (he demo-ed it---had an override on address merge)
Breadcrumb trail is always at the top so you can easily navigate back.
Audit log tracking shows date & time a record was updated, description of field, old value/new value, who updated, etc
Start: “What kind of info am I looking for?” Then do a find for that specific info.
Reporting ability is incredible---%’s, spreadsheets, etc.
With a little training, we can learn to write our own queries.
Home pages for each area—admissions, faculty,
All have the navigation on a left hand side box.
Demo of a report screen had a piece for narratives and checklists. Info would be input then is dropped and merged into a Word Template for Report Cards, which automatically opens. Data is dynamic. They create the template that the info is slotted into.
Parents can see a pdf file of reports instead of having it sent.
Teachers can look at a child’s reports throughout the years and their own reports throughout the years.
Reports can show all K applicants, all test scores on one page (or any other criteria).—imported into an Excel Spreadsheet and ordered in any way.
New fields in a database are done by the company though most fields are already in the database and they can tell us how to navigate to it. If we come up with a field and we want a certain calculation done on it, that may require a fee.
You can scroll back and forth through the detail screens
Registrar
It’s all in the database, there is not a specific screen just for the register.
To do a search, i.e. all kids with birthday in June:
From Lower School page, click off all the criteria, put in a descriptor and pull up the search. (but there is a birthday calendar already there)
Printing can’t be done on an envelope—labels only. You can go into an excel spreadsheet as a work-around, though.
Print preview is available with a global view of all addresses.
Development
Straight forward data entry.
Reports generated as pie charts, graphs, etc.
The Development piece can be password protected.
Beta Tool: ES Dashboard….Can see the data is an easy to see and understand manner with bar graphs, grids, pull down menus
Ballpark figures:
Core Administration:
• set up depends on our data maybe about $12,000 (inc training)
• $20,000 for data conversion for everything
• monthly fee: $1200/month (inc report cards, attendance)
Admissions:
Set up for data conversion: about $2000
2500.00/month
Teacher Portal
3000/month
Development
Set up: $2000.00
2500/month
Parent Portal
3000/month
Customization is extra and would be a one time fee, typically about $500.00
About $24,000 a year in fees, overall. They hold all the data on their servers.
Service is by a ticket basis: a dedicated person for Tenacre who responds to each client on the basis of critical need.
In the contract we cap inflation fees at 5% however, you’d be hard pressed to find a client that would report that amount has been charged.
He’s got a good idea of what he needs from us in order to draw up an estimate. If we chose to go with them, there would be a back and forth about how to go forward. There can be some wiggle room on fees.
This is PC based----there will need to be parallels installed on the Macs for mail merges.
SeniorSystems: Tim Lauf
HQ is in Marlboro, Ma. We can go and visit their HQ if we want.
SeniorSystems – faculty interaction is almost exclusively web-based. The rest is technically a Windows based one but it has a hosting service so we would connect through the web.
16 years in the business.
Fully integrated database.
Has about 240 indep schools around the country. Dana Hall uses Business Module, several area schools use one or more modules.
Admissions:
Inquiry and App can be on line and completely tailorable to Tenacre’s need. Inquiry form is on line (they work together with Whipple Hill---they have a high degree of integration with them). Fill out info, it’s submitted and it would travel to a “holding area” so it can be approved by Admissions.
When a child is accepted it goes to an Enrollment Management Module. Nice statistical reports can be generated from this info.
All the appropriate data automatically becomes available to Development, Registrar, Business, etc. Eliminates duplicate work but also preserves integrity of data. Different Modules can review new data and decide of they want that info to go into their specific database.
Each Module has a specific merge capability.
Canned documents are on line and can be tailored to our needs (student/parent, checklist, visitors confirmation, school, referral, mailing list)
Near every field is dynamically queriable. Query lists are specific to each topic but are able to be used throughout the other topics with a drop down menu. Each query set is specific to each office. Admissions, Development have a new query facility—Registrar & Summer Camp have an old interface but is still effective. Query will first count # of responses.
There is a very nice Help section that explains the type of letter and the merge instructions.
Letters are held and maintained outside the system and it does a merge of the data. It will keep a running list of each piece of correspondence sent out to each family. E-mail
Each module has a number of canned reports. During planning meetings we will go over reports that we have used in the past and they can show us the canned report that dovetails with ours. If it needs some adjustments, we export it (via RTF or pdf) and fix it there (drop txt file into Excel database, for example) or they can customize a report for us.
Crystal Reports works in conjunction with SeniorSystems. You can pull out the data in Crystal if we know how to do this but they can also do it for a fee. They also have a warehouse of Crystal Reports that have been made for other schools and we have access to them. It would be a rare occasion that they would not have the report that we needed.
Teacher Module
This module has an export option for Excel, as well as RTF and text.
They’ve looked at our reports and don’t think it would be a problem to tailor one of their canned report but, if we decide to go with them, they can have one of the developers look at it and show us what they can give us that will suit.
This is a true web application. It comes through as “My Backpack.” Gradebook, schedule, reports
My Backpack is for Parents, Faculty, Alumni, Admin.
Student info tabs: Student, Family, Schedule, Attendance, Discipline, Grades, Daily Assignments and Comment (summary, upcoming assignments, completed assignments, missing assignments) teachers can upload RTF files here, Academic History (prior years reports)
They are working on a system so that it will show the process of a report (i.e. editing that any one does).
Gradebook: It can be archived.
Tabs: Assignment Groups (Homework, papers, Tests, etc), Grade Calculations, Group Averages, Special Scores, Options, Comments
Teachers can publish homework so kids can get it there
Report Comment boxes are small (one paragraph) but scrollable – visual is small.
Development Module
In “My Backpack” Alumni tab.
Tabs: Directory, Donations, My Profile
When alumni makes changes, it goes to a holding area so Development can decide to import or not.
Canned Reports are offered: Constituent Lists/Reports, Alumni Lists, Pledge Reports, Giving Detail Reports, Giving Summary Reports, Giving Level Lists,
This is very similar to Razor’s Edge.
Records: each one has an individual id # (each spouse has one) so all info is tailored
Can have any number of constituency types available.
All kinds of Salutation Options
Address info is the same for all databases.
Giving details type, to what campaign, etc
Giving Summary: YTD, Amount, Campaign, Fund, etc.
Event Planning is an add-on Module that piggy-backs on Development—tracks volunteers, etc.
Information can be targeted in many different ways.
Fees:
Ballpark
One time purchase: $40,000 – 80,000
Admissions: $6000.00
$3600 3 service days (1200/day for other service days)
$1200/ annual
Development: $9000.00, service days: $6000., annual support 2400/year
Registrar $9000, service fees: $4800, 3000/annual
Backpack: $6000, $1200 services, 1500/year
Gradebook: $6000, $1200 services, 1500/year
Oracle Data Base: $4000, 2000/year
Oracle Web Server $4000, 2000/year
Citrex licenses: $2500
5 year agreements
65,500 one time purchase
$130,000 total time over 5 years, $25,000 with signed contract & $1750/month
Data Conversion: Admissions: $2000-4000, Development: $8000, Registrar: $2000-6000 range
Database Committee meeting February 12 2008
• we should take our time deciding
• need to draw up specific questions
• costs
• is it better to go with a smaller company that might evolve or a bigger company that has many features?
• hidden costs: salary fees for those to be trained
• Need more time to personally experience them
• Are these 2 databases the best available products? We need to go through the process--try some things out, visit other schools, etc. Then, if we come to a decision, we still need to look and see if another system has come into existence in the time being.
• Is it possible that these 2 companies can merge so that one company emerges that has all the good features of each in one product? There are products that can link both systems to do that.
• NAIS will have an exhibition hall that may have database reps to visit to see if there are other companies out there.
Rod:
Blackbaud (what is used now) is a dinosaur. They are continuing to use it because a new database will come into the school. If a product (Senior Systems) is available for the rest of the school, the business office really would want this in place. Marti is familiar with Senior Systems.
NEXT:
1. each of us needs to write down a list of questions and processes specific to each of our needs that we can pose to each rep
2. we should post questions/processes to the wiki
3. deadline: before March break
4. need to get out to other schools to see what is going on
5. bring reps back for another visit (start with Senior Systems) to meet with individuals to see if all our tasks are do-able (end of April)
6. get references (who’s got each product?)